Through Agnes Varda's Looking Glass

Summary by Krater

An analysis of Agnès Varda's 1962 French New Wave film Cléo from 5 to 7, exploring how its real-time plot, use of mirrors, and themes of identity and self-image help the protagonist overcome her fear of cancer.

From the video

Answers: How does Agnès Varda use real-time structure and mirrors in Cléo from 5 to 7 to develop its protagonist?

• French New Wave cinema
• real-time storytelling in film
• use of mirrors in visual storytelling
• female self-image and societal expectations
• character development in Cléo from 5 to 7

What it concludes

• Cléo from 5 to 7 uses a real-time plot structure to create a sense of impending doom that prompts Cléo to examine her self-image.
• Mirrors in the film function not as tools for Cléo to see herself, but to reveal how others view her.
• By discarding her external identity and refusing to be exploited as an object, Cléo shifts from a passive object of the gaze to an active subject.
• Upon receiving her cancer diagnosis, Cléo loses her fear and feels a newfound sense of happiness and agency.